Machine Embroidery
Hand sewing which is the oldest art of hand embroidery has been around for long; machine embroidery is relatively new. It entails use of embroidery machines to come up with exquisite designs on fabric. It is faster than hand embroidery and can be used to generate more designs. Machine embroidery makes it possible for companies to do product branding, advertising and have uniforms as it enables duplication of one design on many pieces of fabrics. With hand sewing, it is hard to have exact replicas of the first design.
One can also source for embroidery patterns from embroidery firms that specialize in making embroidered artwork. These firms provide excellent embroidery services and their services are popularly enlisted by companies who need uniforms for their staff, promotional items with their logo on and other marketing tools.
Embroidery designs include lace, silk and silk-ribbon which are done using special machines. For example, there are lace embroidery machines that make it easy to work on. There are many designs and patterns that one can find over the internet.
Ribbon embroidery is used to add delicate designs on to the fabric. You can emboss shapes of bugs, flowers, blooms or even birds using this type of embroidery. Regardless of the fabric you are working on, ribbon embroidery can be incorporated to improve its look. One of the factors that make it so easy to work with is that it is works up quickly. This means you are able to cover a large portion within a very short time because it spreads really fast. It also comes in many different colors, giving you a wide spectrum from which to choose your color variations. It also varies in width, so you can use a thin band or a wider one, depending on the size of fabric you are working on.
Some of the special stitches used in ribbon embroidery are Japanese ribbon stitch, lazy daisy, colonial knot and spider-web rose. It is always good to follow the given instructions on how to handle ribbon to avoid damaging it. This design looks great on pillows, sachets, towels and quilts. Addition of beads, yarn, floss and other materials make it look even better.
Embroidery Stitches
There are different types of embroidery stitches used to make the beautiful artwork we all admire. The most commonly used ones are the French knot, whipped stitch, whipped running stitch, chain stitch, back stitch, threaded backstitch, crossed backstitch, running stitch, blanket or buttonhole stitch, stem stitch and whipped stem stitch. While in machine embroidery the machine can make most of these stitches, sometimes you may need to hand stitch them to come up with a unique design, or when you have a pattern to emboss.
Each type of stitch is used to give a particular effect. The running stitch is a basic stitch used for outline and padding. Move the needle in and out of the fabric and take several stitches before drawing it out. It creates uniform up and down stitches. From this outlined pattern, other stitches can be incorporated to make creative designs.
The blanket stitch is normally used on appliqu¨¦s and is very decorative. It looks like the buttonhole stitch and is used to make different patterns. Couch stitches are another decorative type of stitches but which can also be used for outlining. They are small straight stitches made over an underlying thread to hold it down. To make them, place one thread along the outline then stitch in place. Use contrasting colors for greater effect.
Other decorative embroidery stitches include fishbone, fern, feather, fly, interlaced band and lazy daisy.
